Hell On Wheels Season 5 Is Perfect To Understand Racism And Xenophobia

Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannon and A. Zhou as Fong. Hell on Wheels season 5

Hell on Wheels season 5 is great! I recommend you this TV show based on the adventures and misadventures of Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) while he is involved in the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States.

During the first four seasons, he works on the Union Pacific Railroad. There, laborers, prostitutes, mercenaries and others live in the mobile encampment called ‘Hell on Wheels’ that followed the railhead west across the Great Plains. Do racial problems exist? Of course! Season one began in 1865, shortly after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

However and in spite that Cullen Bohannon was a former Confederate soldier and owner of slaves, Hell on Wheels didn’t focus on racism and xenophobia. It’s truth that the series showed that black workers’ salary was inferior, and we could see Elam Ferguson (Common) suffering discrimination, for example in the brothel. But in the end, Bohannon and Ferguson were comrades and friends.

But Hell on Wheels season 5 focus on racism and what is more interesting, on the process by which a person becomes racist. This was evident in the last episode: ‘White Justice.’ As often happens, the trigger is money.

Hell on Wheels season 5

Cullen Bohannon is now working on the Central Pacific, full of Chinese Workers. How did they live and why they were in California? READ THIS ARTICLE for more information.

Thus and since white people had arrived to California before Chinese workers, they had better conditions. What happens if a foreigner starts living better than them? White people will defend their status, fighting tooth and nail.

In Hell on Wheels season 5 appears an important character. He is Chang (Byron Mann), he is from China but is rich. White people hate Chang, because they see their former privileges in danger, especially when the company lowers their salaries.

The discussion of money and skin color often go together. Don’t you think so?

What do you expect from Hell on Wheels season 5? Tell us your opinion now!